National Ocean Council Certifies the Northeast Ocean Plan

December 7, 2016

The Northeast Regional Planning Body (RPB) is pleased to announce that the National Ocean Council has certified the first-in-the-nation Northeast Ocean Plan. The RPB deeply appreciates the countless number of people involved in the development of the plan over the last four years from all across New England; the strength of the plan is a direct result of the contributions of many passionate and dedicated people.

As stated in the NOC’s announcement, the Northeast Ocean Plan and the Mid-Atlantic Ocean Action Plan “build on a foundation of thousands of new maps that are publically accessible through the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic Data Portals. This extraordinary new generation of data products has been developed in consultation with scientists and marine industries to include a vast array of marine resources, including ecosystem information on 150 species of marine mammals, seabirds, and fish, and a wide range of information on human activities including fishing, recreation, shipping, and renewable energy. The Data Portals allow scientists, stakeholders, and the public to easily obtain and use information about the marine environment and engage in decision-making processes such as National Environmental Policy Act review by identifying who may be affected by proposed activities or where additional information is needed. The new data products developed for the Plans make the Data Portals an even more powerful tool for everyone with an interest in the ocean environment.”

Marine Life Data Enhancements Released in Conjunction with 2016 Northeast Ocean Plan

October 19, 2016

The Northeast Regional Planning Body (RPB) publicly released and submitted the 2016 Northeast Ocean Plan to the National Ocean Council. The Plan helps inform government agency decisions and practices so that they can continue to make progress towards achieving regional goals for the management of public ocean resources.

Species Group Maps and Data to Inform Ecosystem-Based Management

In conjunction with the RPB’s release of the Plan, Northeast Ocean Data announces the availability of abundance, biomass, and richness maps and data for groups of fish, marine mammal, and bird species. Previously, these maps were provided as drafts; they now have been finalized after public and expert review. The abundance maps show the total number of individuals from the species group predicted to be present in a location, while the richness maps show the predicted number of different species. Biomass maps are provided for fish rather than abundance.

These species group products were developed to provide people involved in planning, management, and science with a broader, more ecological perspective on marine life, supplementing the species-specific maps and data that are also available. The products include biological groups (such as demersal fish), species of concern, ecological groups (such as birds that feed similarly), and groups of species with similar sensitivity to specific stressors (such as cetaceans that are sensitive to high-frequency sound).

Enhanced Technical Documentation and Metadata

The latest release also includes streamlined technical documentation and complete metadata for all the bird, mammal, and fish datasets included on Northeast Ocean Data. Produced by the Marine-life Data and Analysis Team (MDAT), the new technical report combines information about the methods used to develop the datasets and maps into a single document. Links to the technical report and metadata are provided when viewing the data on Northeast Ocean Data. The technical report can also be downloaded at neoceanplanning.org/projects/marine-life.

All survey data and their documentation are available on the site for download. To access the new Maine data, select the “Midcoast Maine” and “Southern Maine” products in the survey list.

Example of available data

The interactive survey list (top) provides access to download multibeam data (lower right) and descriptive reports (lower left), such as those shown here for the vicinity of the Kennebec River in Maine.

National Security Theme Added to Northeast Ocean Data

May 25, 2016

In conjunction with the release of the Draft Northeast Ocean Plan, Northeast Ocean Data announces the release of a new map theme showing the Department of Defense presence and footprint in the region. The theme includes maps and descriptions of offshore military ranges, operational areas, equipment testing areas, and more. All data were provided and approved by the U.S. Navy and demonstrate the essential use of the ocean for national security purposes.

Release of the Draft Northeast Ocean Plan

The RPB is holding a public webinar at noon to announce the availability of the draft plan, describe the public comment process, and provide a brief overview of the draft. Additionally, the RPB will be convening a series of public meetings in June to review and discuss the draft plan and to take public comment.

In conjunction with release of the Draft Northeast Ocean Plan, Northeast Ocean Data is releasing new and updated maps and data on the following themes:

]]>A Trove of New Maps of Marine Mammals, Birds, and Fish in the Northeast U.S. Oceanhttp://www.northeastoceandata.org/a-trove-of-new-maps-of-marine-mammals-birds-and-fish-in-the-northeast-u-s-ocean/
Tue, 24 May 2016 20:44:38 +0000http://staging.northeastoceandata.org/?p=5492

A Trove of New Maps of Marine Mammals, Birds, and Fish in the Northeast U.S. Ocean

May 25, 2016

With the Northeast Regional Planning Body’s release today of the Draft Northeast Ocean Plan, Northeast Ocean Data announces the release of over 3,000 new maps of marine life to support ocean planning and management.

In addition to individual species, the maps show diversity, species richness, total abundance, and core abundance areas for groups of species that share regulatory, ecological, and stressor-sensitivity characteristics. These integrative maps are still being reviewed and revised, and they currently carry a “draft” watermark. They bring together the individual species data into new formats that can be helpful to agencies, scientists, conservation practitioners, and the public in understanding and making decisions that affect marine life in the Northeast ocean.

Produced by researchers at several institutions who work collaboratively as the Marine-life Data and Analysis Team (MDAT), this collection of new maps represents one of the largest known efforts globally to assemble and disseminate spatial data for multiple species and taxa of marine life.

Fish Maps

The NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) mapped the biomass of fish species using data from their own 46-year trawl survey, as well as data from the states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts, and data from the North East Area Monitoring and Assessment Program (NEAMAP). Collectively, the fish biomass data span the areas from Maine to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Information about the fish mapping methodology is available by clicking on the About tab on the Fish map or by visiting http://nefsc.noaa.gov/ecosys.

The MDAT work represents the collaborative efforts of many individuals and funders. More than 80 scientists and experts in the Northeast region from state and federal agencies, tribes, academia, conservation organizations, and research institutions contributed to developing and peer-reviewing the methodologies and results.

Baseline Assessment Maps Show Demographic and Economic Data for the Northeast

May 25, 2016

Northeast Ocean Data announces the release of new maps focused on the region’s coastal and ocean economy. These maps are part of a recent Baseline Assessment project that compiled best available information about Northeast natural resources and human uses, drawing from existing data and information from Northeast Ocean Data while also conducting new analysis to characterize the coastal and ocean economy.

Included in this release are regional-scale maps the can be found in the Data Explorer under Demography and Economy:

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) 2013 Economics: National Ocean Watch (ENOW) database. ENOW provides time-series data on the coastal and ocean economy from 2005 to 2013 derived from national accounts of the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Bureau of Economic Analysis. ENOW’s four economic indicators are the number of business establishments, number of people employed, wages paid to employees, and contribution to gross domestic product.

The US Bureau of the Census data and the Center for the Blue Economy (CBE) National Ocean Economics Program. CBE is a research and academic center with research demonstrating the value of ocean and coastal resources and the interdependence of a healthy ocean, well-managed coastline, and strong economy.

These new maps are a product of a multi-year effort to describe natural resources and human uses, as well as the connections between natural resources and economic value at a regional scale in the Northeast. For more information, please visit the Baseline Assessment page on the Northeast Regional Planning Body’s website. Here you will be able to download the full report and maps, learn about this new data, and link to more in-depth sources of information.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) recently launched a new online database that makes forty years of BOEM-sponsored environmental research reports accessible as full electronic documents, including images and graphics. The Environmental Studies Program Information System (ESPIS) provides technical summaries of more than 1,200 projects and pdf versions of over 3,400 reports. The search tool allows text- and map-based queries to find studies and associated publications and digital data.

To facilitate access to the valuable information in ESPIS, we have added new functionality to Northeast Ocean Data’s interactive maps. On the maps, “Link to BOEM ESPIS” appears at the bottom of the Legend box. The link is configured to automatically search ESPIS for information related to the data shown on the map. Clicking on the link will take you to an ESPIS page with a list of relevant reports.

Updated Maps of Physical and Biological Habitat Data

March 17, 2016

Northeast Ocean Data announces the release of updated maps of physical and biological habitat data. The newly reconfigured Habitat theme is subdivided into physical habitat and biological habitat to simplify data access and to group similar types of data.

Maps of physical habitat, such as oceanographic properties and sediment types, depict the structure and dynamics of the ocean environment that shape marine life and human activity patterns. Included in this release are regional-scale maps of:

The usSEABED Data Quality Index is a new layer that is intended to be a companion layer to the usSEABED Surficial Sediment layer. The data quality index is informed by a methodology developed and employed by the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries and the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management, which assigns data quality values to samples based on the age of the sample, the sampling device, and the analytical technique used. The Data Quality Index will help users better understand the strengths and limitations of the available surficial sediment data for the Atlantic coast.

usSEABED Sediment

usSEABED Data Quality

The biological habitat maps show eelgrass beds, wetlands, shellfish beds, and cold-water corals—all of which provide habitat for other types of marine life. The maps also show important biological processes, such as primary and secondary productivity. Biological habitats provide ecosystem services that benefit marine life populations and humans, such as nursery grounds for fish and shellfish, enhanced biodiversity, food, and buffers from storms and flooding.

Eelgrass

Corals

Wetlands

Many of the habitat datasets had been displayed previously on Northeast Ocean Data under different data themes. They have been reorganized into a habitat theme and updated to reflect the presentation of information in the forthcoming Draft Northeast Ocean Plan.

For information about how these data and maps are being developed with stakeholder input and used to support regional ocean planning, please visit the marine life and habitat page on the Northeast Regional Planning Body’s website.

New Map Shows Restoration Projects that Require Funding in New England

March 17, 2016

Northeast Ocean Data is releasing a new thematic map of potential restoration projects in New England. If funded, these restoration projects can improve and maintain estuarine and ocean health by enhancing watershed and water quality conditions, restoring the health of fish populations and fisheries, and providing economic benefits through job creation, fisheries improvements, and tourism opportunities.

The projects focus on watershed and water quality improvement; dam removal and fish passage; salt marsh, wetland, eelgrass, and oyster reef restoration; and other initiatives. Click on the map symbol for each project to see a project description and a link to a project website, if available.

Members of the Northeast Regional Planning Body Restoration Subcommittee identified and provided information about the projects. The dataset includes only projects that are not fully funded and therefore offer opportunities for investment in ocean health. A majority of these projects are eligible for federal funding, and the project partners are seeking non-federal cost-sharing match.